“I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ):
‘Which is better prayer in my house or prayer in the mosque?’ He
said:
‘Do you not see how close my house is to the mosque?’ But
praying in
my house is dearer to me than praying in the mosque, apart
from the
prescribed prayers.’”
“During the caliphate
of
‘Uthman, when the people were present in large numbers, I asked
about Duha prayer, and I could not find anyone who could tell me that
he, meaning the Prophet (ﷺ), had prayed it, apart from Umm Hani’.
She told me that he had prayed it with eight Rak’ah.”
“The Messenger of
Allah
(ﷺ) used to teach us Istikharah, just as he used to teach us a
Surah of the Qur’an. He said: ‘If anyone of you is deliberating
about
a decision he has to make, then let him pray two Rak’ah of
non-
obligatory prayer, then say: Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi
‘ilmika wa
astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as’aluka min
fadlikal-‘azim, fa innaka
taqdiru wa la aqdir, wa ta’lamu wa la
a’lam, wa Anta ‘allamul-ghuyub.
Allahumma in kunta ta’lamu
hadhal-amra (then the matter should be
mentioned by name) ma kan min
shay’in khairan li fi dini wa ma’ashi wa
‘aqibati amri, aw
khairanli fi ‘ajili amri wa ajilihi, faqdurhu li wa
yassirhu li wa
barik li fihi. Wa in kunta ta’lamu [O Allah, I seek
Your guidance
(in making a choice) by virtue of Your knowledge, and I
seek ability
by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great
bounty. You have
power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are
the Knower of
hidden things. O Allah, if in Your knowledge, this
matter (then it
should be mentioned by name) is good for me in my
religion, my
livelihood and my affairs, or both in this world and in
the Hereafter
then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it
for me. And
if in Your knowledge]. Then saying similar to what he said
the first
time, except: Wa in kana sharran li fasrifhu ‘anni wasrifni
‘anhu
waqdur li al-khair haithuma kana thumma raddini bihi (If it is
bad
for me then turn it away from me and turn me away from it, and
ordain
for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with
it).’”
It was
narrated that ‘Abdullah bin Abi Awfa Al-Aslami said:
“The
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us and said: ‘Whoever has some
need from Allah or from any of His creation, let him perform ablution
and pray two Rak’ah, then let him say: La ilaha
illallahul-Halimul-
Karim. Subhan-Allahi Rabbil-‘arshil-‘azim.
Al-hamdu Lillahi
Rabbil-‘Alamin. Allahumma inni as’aluka mujibat
rahmatika, wa ‘aza’ima
maghfiratika, wal-ghanimata min kulli
birrin, was-salamata min kulli
ithmnin. As’aluka alla tada’a li
dhanban illa ghafartahu, wa la hamman
illa farrajtahu, wa la hajah
hiya laka ridan illa qadaitaha li (None
has the right to be
worshipped but Allah, the Forbearing, the Most
Generous. Glory is to
Allah, the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Praise is
to Allah, the Lord of
the worlds. O Allah, I ask You for the means of
Your mercy and
forgiveness, the benefit of every good deed and safety
from all sins.
I ask You not to leave any sin of mine but You forgive
it, or any
distress but You relieve it, or any need that is pleasing
to You but
You meet it). Then he should ask Allah for whatever he
wants in this
world and in the Hereafter, for it is decreed.”
It was
narrated from ‘Uthman bin Hunaif that a blind man came to the
Prophet (ﷺ) and said:
“Pray to Allah to heal me.” He said: “If
you
wish to store your reward for the Hereafter, that is better, or
if you
wish, I will supplicate for you.” He said: “Supplicate.”
So he told
him to perform ablution and do it well, and to pray two
Rak’ah, and to
say this supplication: “Allahumma inni as’aluka
wa atawajjahu ilaika
bimuhammadin nabiyyir-rahmah. Ya Muhammadu inni
qad tawajjahtu bika
ila rabbi fi hajati hadhihi lituqda. Allahumma
fashaffi’hu fiya (O
Allah, I ask of You and I turn my face towards
You by virtue of the
intercession of Muhammad the Prophet of mercy. O
Muhammad, I have
turned to my Lord by virtue of your intercession
concerning this need
of mine so that it may be met. O Allah, accept
his intercession
concerning me)”.
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said
to ‘Abbas: ‘O uncle, shall I not give you a gift, shall I not
benefit you, shall I not uphold my ties of kinship with you?’ He
said:
‘Of course, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said: ‘Pray four
Rak’ah, and
recite in each Rak’ah the Opening of the Book
(Al-Fatihah) and a
Surah. When you have finished reciting, say:
Subhan-Allah wal-hamdu
Lillah wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahu Akbar
(Glory is to Allah, praise
is to Allah, none has the right to be
worshipped but Allah and Allah
is the Most Great) fifteen times
before you bow in Ruku’. Then bow and
say it ten times; then raise
your head and say it ten times; then
prostrate and say it ten times;
then raise your head and say it ten
times; then prostrate and say it
ten times; then raise your head and
say it ten times before you stand
up. That wil be seventy-five times
in each Rak’ah and three hundred
times in the four Rak’ah, and even if
your sins are like the grains
of sand, Allah will forgive you for
them.’ He said: ‘O Messenger
of Allah, what if someone cannot say it
in one day?’ He said: ‘Then
say it once in a week; if you cannot, then
say it once in a month’
until he said: ‘Once in a year.’”
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said
to ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib: ‘O ‘Abbas, O my uncle, shall I
not
give you a gift, shall I not give you something, shall I not tell
you
of something which, if you do it, will expiate for ten types of
sins?
If you do them, Allah will forgive you your sins, the first and
the
last of them, the old and the new, the unintentional and the
deliberate, the minor and the major, the secret and the open, ten
types of sin. Pray four Rak’ah, and recite in each Rak’ah the
Opening
of the Book (Al-Fatihah) and a Surah. When you have finished
reciting
in the first Rak’ah, while you are standing, say:
Subhan-Allah wal-
hamdu Lillah wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahu Akbar
(Glory if to Allah,
praise is to Allah, none has the right to be
worshipped but Allah and
Allah is the Most Great) fifteen times. Then
bow and say it ten times
while you are bowing. Then raise your head
from Ruku’ and say it ten
times. Then go into prostration and say
it ten times while you are
prostrating. Then raise your head from
prostration and say it ten
times. Then prostrate and say it ten
times. Then raise your head from
prostration and say it ten times.
That will be seventy-five times in
each Rak’ah. Do that in all four
Rak’ah. If you can pray it once each
day then do so. If you cannot,
then once each week; if you cannot,
then once each month. If you
cannot, then once in your lifetime.’”
“The Messenger of Allah
(ﷺ) said: ‘When it is the night of the middle of Sha’ban, spend
its
night in prayer and observe a fast on that day. For Allah
descends at
sunset on that night to the lowest heaven and says: ‘Is
there no one
who will ask Me for forgiveness, that I may forgive him?
Is there no
one who will ask Me for provision, that I may provide for
him? Is
there no one who is afflicted by trouble, that I may relieve
him?’ And
so on, until dawn comes.’”
“I missed the Prophet (ﷺ) one
night, so I went out looking for him. I found him at Al-Baqi’,
raising
his head towards the sky. He said: ‘O ‘Aishah, were you
afraid that
Allah and His Messenger would wrong you?’” She said:
“I said: ‘No, it
is not that, but I thought that you had gone to
one of your other
wives.’ He said: ‘Allah descends on the night
of the middle of Sha’ban
to the lowest heaven, and He forgives more
than the numbers of hairs
on the sheep of Banu Kalb.’”
Chapter 191: What was narrated concerning the night of the middle of Sha’ban - كتاب إقامة الصلاة والسنة فيها
حَدَّثَنَا رَاشِدُ بْنُ سَعِيدِ بْنِ رَاشِدٍ الرَّمْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ، عَنِ ابْنِ لَهِيعَةَ، عَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ بْنِ أَيْمَنَ، عَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَرْزَبٍ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الأَشْعَرِيِّ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ
" إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَطَّلِعُ فِي لَيْلَةِ النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ فَيَغْفِرُ لِجَمِيعِ خَلْقِهِ إِلاَّ لِمُشْرِكٍ أَوْ مُشَاحِنٍ " .
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الأَسْوَدِ النَّضْرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ لَهِيعَةَ، عَنِ الزُّبَيْرِ بْنِ سُلَيْمٍ، عَنِ الضَّحَّاكِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا مُوسَى، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ نَحْوَهُ .
It was
narrated from Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari that the Messenger of Allah
(ﷺ)
said:
“Allah looks down on the night of the middle of Sha’ban
and
forgives all His creation, apart from the idolater and the
Mushahin.”
Another chain from Abu Musa, from the Prophet (ﷺ) with similar wording.
Chapter 192: What was narrated concerning Prayer and prostration at times of gratitude - كتاب إقامة الصلاة والسنة فيها
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بِشْرٍ، بَكْرُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ حَدَّثَنَا سَلَمَةُ بْنُ رَجَاءٍ، حَدَّثَتْنِي شَعْثَاءُ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي أَوْفَى، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ صَلَّى يَوْمَ بُشِّرَ بِرَأْسِ أَبِي جَهْلٍ رَكْعَتَيْنِ .
It was
narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Abu Awfa that the Messenger of
Allah
(ﷺ) prayed two Rak’ah on the day when he was given the glad
tidings of the head (death) of Abu Jahl.
Chapter 192: What was narrated concerning Prayer and prostration at times of gratitude - كتاب إقامة الصلاة والسنة فيها
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْخُزَاعِيُّ، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ يُوسُفَ السُّلَمِيُّ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَاصِمٍ، عَنْ بَكَّارِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ كَانَ إِذَا أَتَاهُ أَمْرٌ يَسُرُّهُ أَوْ يُسَرُّ بِهِ خَرَّ سَاجِدًا شُكْرًا لِلَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى .
It was
narrated from Abu Bakrah that when the Prophet (ﷺ) heard
news that
made him happy, or for which one should be happy, he would
fall down
prostrate in gratitude to Allah, the Blessed and Exalted.
Chapter 193: What was narrated saying that Prayer is an expiation - كتاب إقامة الصلاة والسنة فيها
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَنَصْرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، حَدَّثَنَا مِسْعَرٌ، وَسُفْيَانُ، عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ الْمُغِيرَةِ الثَّقَفِيِّ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ رَبِيعَةَ الْوَالِبِيِّ، عَنْ أَسْمَاءَ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ الْفَزَارِيِّ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ إِذَا سَمِعْتُ مِنْ، رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ حَدِيثًا يَنْفَعُنِي اللَّهُ بِمَا شَاءَ مِنْهُ وَإِذَا حَدَّثَنِي عَنْهُ غَيْرُهُ اسْتَحْلَفْتُهُ فَإِذَا حَلَفَ صَدَّقْتُهُ وَإِنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ حَدَّثَنِي وَصَدَقَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ
" مَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ يُذْنِبُ ذَنْبًا فَيَتَوَضَّأُ فَيُحْسِنُ الْوُضُوءَ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ - وَقَالَ مِسْعَرٌ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي - وَيَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ إِلاَّ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ " .
It was
narrated that ‘Ali bin Abu Talib said:
“If I heard a Hadith
from
the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Allah benefitted me with it as much
as
He willed, and if I heard it from anyone else, I would ask him to
swear me an oath, then if he swore an oath I would believe him. Abu
Bakr told me and Abu Bakr spoke the truth that the Messenger of Allah
(ﷺ) said: ‘There is no man who commits a sin then he performs
ablution and does it well, then he prays two Rak’ah,’ (one of the
narrators) Mis’ar said: ‘then performs prayer and seeks the
forgiveness of Allah, but Allah will forgive him.’
It was
narrated from ‘Asim bin Sufyan Thaqafi that they went on the
campaign of Salasil, but no battle took place; they only took up
their
positions. Then they came back to Mu’awiyah, and Abu Ayyub
and ‘Uqbah
bin ‘Amir were with him. ‘Asim said:
“O Abu Ayyub,
we have missed out
on Jihad this year, and we were told that whoever
prays in the four
mosques will be forgiven his sins.” He said: “O
son of my brother,
shall I not tell you of something easier than
that? I heard the
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Whoever performs
ablution as he has
been commanded, and prays as he has been
commanded, will be forgiven
his previous (bad) deeds.’” He said:
“(Did he not say it) like that, O
‘Uqbah?” He said: “Yes.”
“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Do you
think
that if there was a river in the courtyard of anyone of you, and
he
bathed in it five times each day, would there be any dirt left on
him?’ They said: ‘(There would be) nothing.’ He said: ‘Prayer
takes
away sins like water takes away dirt.’”
It was
narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud that a man did something
with
a woman that was less than adultery; I do not know how far it
went,
but it was less than adultery. He went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and
told
him about that. Then Allah revealed the words:
“And perform the
prayer, at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night.
Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds. That is a reminder for
the mindful.” [11:114] He said: “O Messenger of Allah, is this
only
for me?” He said: “It is for everyone who acts upon it.”
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
said: ‘Allah enjoined fifty prayers upon my nation, and I came back
with that until I came to Musa. Musa said: ‘What has your Lord
enjoined upon your nation?’ I said: ‘He has enjoined fifty
prayers on me.’ He said: ‘Go back to your Lord, for your nation
will not be able to do that.’ So I went back to my Lord, and He
reduced it by half. I went back to Musa and told him, and he said:
‘Go back to your Lord, for your nation will not be able to do
that.’ So I went back to my Lord, and He said: ‘They are five and
they are fifty; My Word does not change.’ So I went back to Musa
and he said: ‘Go back to your Lord.’ I said: ‘I feel shy before
my Lord.’”
“I heard the Messenger
of
Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Five prayers that Allah has enjoined upon His
slaves, so whoever does them, and does not omit anything out of
negligence, on the Day of Resurrection Allah will make a covenant
with
him that He will admit him to Paradise. But whoever does them
but
omits something from them out of negligence, will not have such a
covenant with Allah; if He wills He will punish him, and if He wills,
He will forgive him.’”
Chapter 194: What was narrated concerning the five obligatory Prayers and performing them regularly - كتاب إقامة الصلاة والسنة فيها
حَدَّثَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ حَمَّادٍ الْمِصْرِيُّ، أَنْبَأَنَا اللَّيْثُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدٍ الْمَقْبُرِيِّ، عَنْ شَرِيكِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي نَمِرٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ، يَقُولُ بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ جُلُوسٌ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ عَلَى رَحْلٍ فَأَنَاخَهُ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ ثُمَّ عَقَلَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُمْ أَيُّكُمْ مُحَمَّدٌ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ مُتَّكِئٌ بَيْنَ ظَهْرَانَيْهِمْ . قَالَ فَقَالُوا هَذَا الرَّجُلُ الأَبْيَضُ الْمُتَّكِئُ . فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ يَا ابْنَ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ . فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " قَدْ أَجَبْتُكَ " . فَقَالَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ يَا مُحَمَّدُ إِنِّي سَائِلُكَ وَمُشَدِّدٌ عَلَيْكَ فِي الْمَسْأَلَةِ فَلاَ تَجِدَنَّ عَلَىَّ فِي نَفْسِكَ . فَقَالَ " سَلْ مَا بَدَا لَكَ " . قَالَ لَهُ الرَّجُلُ نَشَدْتُكَ بِرَبِّكَ وَرَبِّ مَنْ قَبْلَكَ آللَّهُ أَرْسَلَكَ إِلَى النَّاسِ كُلِّهِمْ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " اللَّهُمَّ نَعَمْ " . قَالَ فَأَنْشُدُكَ بِاللَّهِ آللَّهُ أَمَرَكَ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسَ فِي الْيَوْمِ وَاللَّيْلَةِ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " اللَّهُمَّ نَعَمْ " . قَالَ فَأَنْشُدُكَ بِاللَّهِ آللَّهُ أَمَرَكَ أَنْ تَصُومَ هَذَا الشَّهْرَ مِنَ السَّنَةِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " اللَّهُمَّ نَعَمْ " . قَالَ فَأَنْشُدُكَ بِاللَّهِ آللَّهُ أَمَرَكَ أَنْ تَأْخُذَ هَذِهِ الصَّدَقَةَ مِنْ أَغْنِيَائِنَا فَتَقْسِمَهَا عَلَى فُقَرَائِنَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " اللَّهُمَّ نَعَمْ " . فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ آمَنْتُ بِمَا جِئْتَ بِهِ وَأَنَا رَسُولُ مَنْ وَرَائِي مِنْ قَوْمِي . وَأَنَا ضِمَامُ بْنُ ثَعْلَبَةَ أَخُو بَنِي سَعْدِ بْنِ بَكْرٍ .
It was
narrated from Sharik bin ‘Abdullah bin Abu Namir that he heard
Anas
bin Malik say:
“While we were sitting in the mosque, a man
entered
riding a camel; he made it kneel in the mosque, then he
hobbled it
and said to them: ‘Which of you is Muhammad?’ The Messenger
of
Allah (ﷺ) was reclining among them, so they said: ‘This
fair-
skinned man who is reclining.’ The man said to him: ‘O son
of ‘Abdul-
Muttalib!’ The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘I am listening to
you.’ The man
said: O Muhammad! I am asking you and will be stern
in asking, so do
not bear any ill-feelings towards me.’ He said:
‘Ask whatever you
think.’ The man said: ‘I adjure you by your
Lord and the Lord of those
who came before you, has Allah sent you to
all of mankind?’ The
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah,
yes.; He said: ‘I adjure you
by Allah, has Allah commanded you to
pray the five prayers each day
and night?’ The Messenger of Allah
(ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah, yes.’ He
said: ‘I adjure you by Allah,
has Allah commanded you to fast this
month of each year?’ The
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah,
yes.’ He said: ‘I
adjure you by Allah, has Allah commanded you to take
this charity
from our rich and distribute it among our poor?’ The
Messenger of
Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘By Allah, yes.’ The man said: ‘I
believe in
what you have brought, and I am the envoy of my people who
are behind
me. I am Dimam bin Tha’labah, the brother of Banu Sa’d bin
Bakr.’”